Israel proposes dividing southern Syria into security zones similar to Egypt peace deal

Israel has revealed a detailed security proposal to Syria that includes a map of field arrangements and disarmament zones stretching from south-west Damascus to the Israeli border.

The Israeli proposal is based on a model similar to Israel’s 1979 peace agreement with Egypt, according to Axios.

The agreement divided the Sinai Peninsula into three areas – A, B and C – with different security measures and levels of demilitarisation depending on how close they were to the Israeli border.

According to Israel’s Channel 12, one of the key principles in the proposal is keeping an air corridor to Iran through Syria.

Syria has not yet responded to the proposal.

Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer is expected to meet Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani in London on Wednesday, along with US envoy to Syria Tom Barak, who is mediating between the two sides, to discuss the plan.

This will be the third meeting between Dermer and al-Shibani under the sponsorship of the Trump administration.

Sources familiar with the talks said progress has been made, but more time is needed to reach an agreement.

The new deal under discussion aims to replace the 1974 disengagement agreement between the two countries, which became irrelevant after the Assad regime collapsed and Israel occupied the buffer zone on the Syrian side of the border.